Page 49 of The Pack Next Door
Probably because he had.
“Where the hell did you get to last night?” I snapped.
The scent of Briar was all over him.
“The forest.”
Maddox’s spoon dropped back into his cereal bowl with a clatter, the sound echoing inside my head.
“The forest?” I couldn’t keep the fury from my voice. “We agreed we’d all go to bed early in preparation for the trial today. If we’re going to win it for Briar?—”
“Turns out she had a more pressing need last night.” Maddox was out of his chair and crossing the floor, followingour brother to the fridge. When Jace pulled out the orange juice, I joined them. “I helped her with that and am ready for today.”
“What. Need.”
I thought I’d growled that but was surprised to realise it was Maddox.
“Briar’s in heat.” Jace’s smile faded and something far more real replaced it. “It’s hurting her, and I helped her out.”
“By doing what?”
At my snapped question, I snatched the juice out of his hand and shoved it back in the fridge, slapping my hand down on the door when he went to reopen it with a smile.
“Semen eases a heat, you know that.”
It felt like I was having an outer-body experience. A high pitched noise started in my head, punctuated by the beat of my heart.
“You knotted Briar?”
“Of course I bloody didn’t.” Jace went to shove me out of the way, but I stood firm, forcing him to acknowledge a fact my brothers didn’t like much. I was bigger, stronger, faster than all of them, and I wasn’t going anywhere except by choice. “I made sure she was feeling good, then rubbed some cum into her to ease the heat symptoms.”
“Rub…” I remembered the conversation our fathers had had with us when we turned eighteen, impressing the importance of looking after an omega during her heat. No time was more vulnerable than then. “Is she on birth control? Getting our omega pregnant before she’s mated is not the plan.”
“Oh, don’t mess with the plan.” Maddox threw his hands up, mocking me with his fake scared look. “Have you considered what Briar might think of this plan?”
“There you are.” The dads arrived downstairs and Greg walked over to Jace. “Where’d you get to last night? Saw your wolf streaking across the grass like his arse was on fire.” Heruffled my brother’s hair. “Anything to do with that pretty omega next door?”
“She’s not that pretty.” Mum’s sharp tone had all of us turning to stare, and that had her stiffening. “She’s not. In my day, an unmated omega worked hard to send the right message. Demure, submissive, and respectful of all alphas. Slopping around in worn tank tops and shorts is none of those things.”
My fangs locked down in my mouth. A growl formed, but I stuffed it back down again, feeling a curious pang of pain. Look after your mother, that had been impressed upon all of us, but most of all me, so I made sure to do just that. I acceded to all of Mum’s wishes, but Briar… I loved my mother, but my mate was the other half of my soul.
“She was comfortable,” I replied.
“Comfortable!” Mum waved that away. “Another word for frumpy. I’m twice her age and I still make an effort.”
“That you do, love.” Ned swatted her on the butt, which distracted Mum thankfully. She spluttered and then they had a whole conversation going as I turned to my brothers.
“We’re discussing this after the trial,” I said. “Win or lose, that determines the conversation we have.”
Jace and Maddox spluttered, but I walked off, collecting what was needed and then stacking it in the car. A cooler with electrolyte drinks, snacks, a chair for Mum, I ticked off each thing, looking up to find my family was emerging from the house. One of the dads locked up as Mum approached me.
“Are you sure this Briar woman is your mate?” She squinted against the sun, holding a hand above her eyes. “Instincts can be wrong, you know.”
Not mine. It wasn’t the sound of Briar’s front door that had my head whipping around, just in time to catch her helping her mother down the steps. The wolf seemed to have an innate sense of where our mate was at all times. I wanted to move,take over, claim this burden for my own, even though I knew we weren’t there just yet, so instead I watched her open the car door and let Maggie in.
“She’s the one,” I replied, the wind tearing my words from my lips and sending them her way, which was why Briar looked up.
Jace found her in the forest? I prodded my wolf, wondering why the hell he hadn’t sent me to find her. It wasn’t hard to imagine what happened. Her emerging from fur, shining like the moon itself. My paws, my feet, would’ve been drawn towards her with little thought. That delicious scent would’ve had my mouth watering, right before?—
